#Intriguing

Whatever is fascinating,whatever is questionable or mysterious be it in the scientific world, space, underwater, in the beauty of art, or as the course of nature has it explained, here is where they are all found. And you are highly welcome, thanks. 

[asiantech]

#SouthKorea to #invest $66 billion to create a #start-up #hub

South Korea will invest  $65.9 billion ( 80 trillion won) on startups in 2016. Startups and business focusing on IT, robotics, bio, health, smart cars, energy and new materials will qualify for assistance.    The Ministry of Science, and other related government agencies made the announcement.

8 trillion won of the budget will be direct investments, while it will loan 49 trillion won and stand surety for 23 trillion won.

The ministry will continue its Center of Creative Economy and Innovation (CCEI) program, which runs startup incubators with support of local conglomerates such as Samsung and LG, to foster local talent.

The investment will help create a startup hub in Pangyo and help them expand abroad. Foreigners and foreign startups will also be invited and get financial and administrative assistance.

[asiantech]

#India launch a $1.5 Billion #Fund for #Startups

India is one of the countries with highest number of tech startups, if not the highest, but Indian startups struggle more with funding, which makes their companies less successful than in the West,  Prime Minister Narendra Modi, wants to change that, by launching a number of initiatives to boost the country’s start-ups, the plans include: a $1.5 billion ( 100 billion rupee ) fund and a several tax breaks for both the companies and their investors.

[spaceexp]

Cool photo of Gemini-8 post-splashdown

by NASA Johnson

[americangeophysicalunion]

In the Mediterranean Sea, just east of Sicily, may lie the culprit responsible for many major earthquakes in the past 500 years and the associated 5-10 meter (16-32 feet) high tsunamis that followed, according to a study published in Tectonics, a journal of the American Geophysical Union.

Previously, the exact source of these seismic events was largely unknown. One potential source was the Malta Escarpment, found just 3-4 kilometers (1-2 miles) off the coast of Sicily – a step that scientists thought was a major active fault. New data from bathymetry and seismic profiling suggests that a strike-slip crossing the North Malta Escarpment (near Mt. Etna) could be the cause of these quakes.

[thebeakerblog]

This charismatic insect has inspired everyone from novelists like Aldous Huxley to grandmasters at the Shaolin Temple in China. Many ancient civilizations imbued it with supernatural powers and some considered it to be divine. While not native to Connecticut, this creature is still the state’s official insect. Today, a few facts about the praying mantis (Mantis religiosa) and the order Mantodea.  

The name Mantis traces its origins to the Greek word for “prophet” or “diviner.” It’s one of my favorite creature names, perfectly capturing the insect’s memorable posture of standing on its four hind legs while raising its two forelegs in a fashion suggesting prayer.

As ambush predators, mantises locate their prey by sight. They are the only invertebrate known to posses “stereopsis” (3-D vision), and the wide, lateral spacing of their eyes indicate a wide field of vision that also produces quality up-close images thanks to an evolved region at the front of the eye. 

In part because of their visual acuity, some scientists argue sexual cannibalism in mantises may be misunderstood. One argument says cannibalism may be an artifact of intrusive laboratory practices – with the bright lights or moving scientists inciting a female mantis to react by eating her mate. In fact, some males mantises have fairly high rates of escaping cannibalism following a sexual encounter in the wild and other mantises demonstrate behavior suggesting they might be trying to avoid getting their head bitten off.

A fighting style called “Northern Praying Mantis” is a widely practiced form of Chinese martial arts inspired by the aggressiveness of this insect. There are a lot of stories about the origin of the style, but all underscore the importance of a Taoist principle saying much can be learned from nature. There is also a fighting style called “Southern Praying Mantis,” which is unrelated to the northern form. 

(Image Credits: Creative Commons: disparkys, Dave Edens, Wikimedia Commons / Source: State of Connecticut, Cannibalism reverses male-biased sex ratio in adult mantids: female strategy against food limitation?, Wikimedia Commons, Lifetime mating opportunities and male mating behaviour in sexually cannibalistic praying mantids)

[gifsboom]

The looping story about chicken & (sketch)bookworm. [vine]

[Pinot]

[bamboyblog]

really cool 

[spaceexp]

One of Curiosity’s wheels

via reddit

[spaceexp]

First Flower Grown in Space Station's Veggie Facility

NASA - Veggie Experiment logo. Jan. 19, 2016

On Jan. 16, 2016, Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly shared photographs of a blooming zinnia flower in the Veggie plant growth system aboard the International Space Station. Kelly wrote, “Yes, there are other life forms in space! #SpaceFlower #YearInSpace” This flowering crop experiment began on Nov. 16, 2015, when NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren activated the Veggie system and its rooting “pillows” containing zinnia seeds. The challenging process of growing the zinnias provided an exceptional opportunity for scientists back on Earth to better understand how plants grow in microgravity, and for astronauts to practice doing what they’ll be tasked with on a deep space mission: autonomous gardening. In late December, Kelly found that the plants “weren’t looking too good,” and told the ground team, “You know, I think if we’re going to Mars, and we were growing stuff, we would be responsible for deciding when the stuff needed water. Kind of like in my backyard, I look at it and say ‘Oh, maybe I should water the grass today.’ I think this is how this should be handled.” The Veggie team on Earth created what was dubbed “The Zinnia Care Guide for the On-Orbit Gardener,” and gave basic guidelines for care while putting judgment capabilities into the hands of the astronaut who had the plants right in front of him. Rather than pages and pages of detailed procedures that most science operations follow, the care guide was a one-page, streamlined resource to support Kelly as an autonomous gardener. Soon, the flowers were on the rebound, and on Jan. 12, pictures showed the first peeks of petals beginning to sprout on a few buds. Related articles: How Mold on Space Station Flowers is Helping Get Us to Mars: http://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.ch/2016/01/how-mold-on-space-station-flowers-is.html Space-Grown Flowers Will be New Year Blooms on International Space Station: http://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.ch/2015/11/space-grown-flowers-will-be-new-year.html Related links: International Space Station (ISS): http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html Space Station Research and Technology: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/index.html One-Year Crew: http://www.nasa.gov/content/one-year-crew/index.html Expedition 46: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition46/index.html Image, Text, Credits: NASA/Sarah Loff. Greetings, Orbiter.ch Full article

[peacecorps]

RPCV Career Link’s Top 7 Job Posters of 2015

More than posting jobs, these organizations all have another thing in common. They’re specifically interested in recruiting and hiring RPCV talent.

Returned Peace Corps Volunteer? Job hunting? Start here.

[spacevorobey]

[spacevorobey]

[spacevorobey]

[bamboyblog]

A draft of a new high-tech vessel, the ability to transform from a monohull boat in the catamaran, trimaran, as well as a hydrofoil.

In addition to general classes of boats, Australian developers offered another one - the ship convertible Kormaran, seeking to combine the world of luxury yachts to the world of sports cars. Among the many features of this versatile vessel is to provide the ability to transform. Thanks to retractable hydrofoils and folding buoys, Kormaran can be agile as a simple boat and sustainable as a catamaran. Naked Science http://naked-science.ru/article/concept/high-tech-transforming-kormaran-watercraft

[discoverynews]

How Much Bacteria Is In Your Drinking Water?

Water filtration systems are extremely effective, but bacteria still manages to escape! How much of it are you drinking?

[bamboyblog]

How much of it do we have in our drinking water?

You will be surprised how much bacterial make their ways in the pipe that carries our drinking water. Is about 80,000 of them, but don’t freakout,it’s normal.

[fuckingsushi]

[bamboyblog]

There’s some element of truth in that

[kmtarchive-deactivated20201028]

[universalequalityisinevitable]